Restaurant Woo Ng Kee: Old School Charm

Lately, my foodies have been patronizing traditional comfort food in our area and I just realized that food is also crucial in bringing back special memories or recording precious moments in life…

What do we leave behind when we are long gone from now? Our heritage and culture in many forms from our fore fathers and ancestors! What better way to reminisce about our past than boast about the food that was created by our family…J

Recently, I had dined at Restaurant Woo Ng Kee and was amazed to see how the owner proudly made a statement of “This restaurant has been in my family for three generations with a history of over 60 years!” This truly shows the integrity and honor of a man who bears the precious memories of his roots and to be able to share them today is a remarkable journey for him and his family. Woo Ng, the first generation hails from Guangdong, China. Hence, the restaurant was named after him.

The restaurant simple and minimal decor with traditional red table cloths and tiled floors.

Couldn't resist these gorgeous colors of red chilies, garlic and chili padi!

Divine looking roast meats hanging by the kitchen window nook.

As usual, we requested their house specialties as we felt that the only way to really experience one’s heritage is to let the owner show you their creations. Mr. Ng has a wonderful sense of creativity as he gives his dishes special names to reminisce his era’s music, quotes and etc…

First dish was named after a famous 70’s song ‘Mei Lan, Mei Lan, Wo Ai Ni’. The dish comprised of crunchy Kai Lan vegetable sauté with a mixture of sweet and salty ‘Mei Cai’ and minced pork, hence the name of the dish. A nice balance between sweet and savory, the dish shouts classic! The crunchy greens of ‘Kai Lan’ added a great texture to the dish.

House Special Fish Head Curry came piping hot in a copper pot. This is rare as we don’t see much copper pots around anymore and copper pots really maintained the heat of the curry well. This version is unlike the Indian version. It had a very unique curry paste that was mild and creamy with an undertone of belachan detected. The dish uses fresh coconut milk to give it the signature smooth and luscious gravy with a beautifully medley of veggies and fresh fish head pieces. As it was mild, I can see several tables with children eating this dish itself!

When ‘Loong Seng Sei Poh’ arrived, first impression was that this looks like those eight-course dinner veggies. However, we found a hidden delight beneath that appealing mount of delights. Melt-in-the-mouth slices of pork belly braised with yam and peanuts were warmly nestled with braised ‘Tau Kan’, mushrooms and slices of abalone. What an ingenious way to present two dishes into one! Full of savory flavors from the pork, I doused my rice with the gravy and ate the pork belly with gusto! I just love the pork belly and peanuts to death!!

Duo variety of ‘Thai Sek Far Tiew Kai’ showcased a crispy skin roast chicken and a Thai style salad of shredded chicken. Traditional roast chicken with crispy skin reminded me of those good old days where food was basic and simple to enjoy the chicken essence. Thai salad of shredded chicken was average with a mixture of shallots, chili and Thai sauce.

Owner recommended ‘Chu Pang Kau Yau’ to us and this ignited our curiosity on the dish. It’s actually a Braised Pork Knuckle dish simmered in light spiced sauce, served in a copper pot again. Taste was average for me as I prefer the earlier pork belly with peanuts.

Since we had spied some gorgeous ducks hanging in the kitchen window earlier, we had to try them. Woo Ng Kee Roast Duck was lovely and there were some red pickled ginger to accompany the duck. Fragrant and moist, the duck was scrumptious! I was told that their duck had to be marinated over 12 hours before roast.

Restaurant Woo Ng Kee can be categorized as old school class. Family run-business, one can be assured of classic dishes and comfort food. Recipes handed down from each generations are safely guarded, thus one can be sure of hearty and classic dishes injected with a little humor and creativity. Good place to bring family for hearty and classic dishes!

Restaurant Woo Ng Kee
545, 546, 547, Jalan E3/7,
Taman Ehsan
Selangor, 52100
Tel No: 03-6274-2305